Concurrent enrolment (BE) or concurrent enrollment (AE) is a program through which students earn college credit for courses taken during high school. Students enroll at a university or college to attain high school and/or college credit for these courses.[1] More broadly, it can refer to a student taking multiple courses simultaneously at different educational institutions.[2] Technically, according to National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships NACEP, which accredits these programs, concurrent enrollment refers to high school-college partnerships that offer high school students the opportunity to take college courses in their high schools during the regular school day and the courses are taught by trained high school teachers. For related information please see Dual enrollment.
Concurrent enrollment is designed for highly motivated students who are willing to work hard to achieve success in college courses while they are still in high school. Most CEPs provide guidelines for high schools to follow in terms of which students are recommended to take these courses. Guidelines vary from program to program and fall along a continuum in terms of how restrictive they are about the types of students who are recommended. Generally, students must have taken the pre-requisite courses and access is often limited to seniors. Although concurrent enrollment allows gifted students to gain recognition for extending their academic abilities, it also provides students who may not have considered postsecondary education as an option for themselves the opportunity to do so.